Resilient arch support



Sept. 19,

M. MARGOLIN RESILIENT ARCH SUPPORT;

Filed Dec. 13, 1940 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 19, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RESILIENT Alton SUPPORT Meyer Margolin, Elgin, 111.

Application December 13, 1940, "Serial No. 369,996

' ZCIaims. (01. 36-3) My invention relates to an arch support and more specifically to an arch supporting device comprising expanded rubber which is providedwith such construction as to make possible a constant and forced breathing in the shoe.

. The archsupport of my invention generally comprises an integrally molded resilient and flexible material which is highest along the center of its longitudinal axis and tapers down from there to a feather edge thickness at its periphery.

A rigid member may be employed along the longitudinal axis in order to provide the necessary rigid base support for the arch support. Across the areas of appreciable thickness in this device extend transverse grooves of substantial width having a substantially rectangular crosssection. When this device is employed-in the shoe and is flexed in the act of walking, the grooves are alternately expanded and contracted to provide a forced breathing which forces air circulated thereby up through perforations which extend through the thickness of this arch sup port and which perforations are located over the entire areas of this arch support and spaced at a small distance one from the other. 7 a j The arch supportabove generally described may be given an upper cover of leather which is perforated in such a manner so that the perforations correspond to the perforations in the resilient material which comprises the arch support; In this way the breathing is not interfered with. The arch support is adapted to be placed within the ordinary shoe in order to correct the positioning of the arch of the wearer. It also acts as a resilient cushion to the foot of the wearer and may carry in the metatarsal region an arch-support which consists in an integrally molded raised areaof rubber. V

. At the side of my arch support and extending upwardly and around thelong arch of the foot is an extension to afford support for. the longi-'- tudinal arch. order .to gradually build up the support in this particular area, I provide recesses in the form of holes larger than the ordinary air perforations located in this area which are adapted to receive projections which are carried by cookies. These cookies may be added on to the arch support to build up the thickness to get additional height in this area. These cookies may be in the form of relatively thin'resilient wafers which carry projections on their vunderside'and recesses. on their upper side so that a multiplicity of such cookies may be superimposed one upon the other in order to build up and provide the ultimate desired thickslot-shaped opening in the .insole.

The arch support of my invention, as will be ness in this particular area as shown in my Patent Number 2,207,632. v

In order to facilitate this forced breathing I may provide communicating grooves or arteries which connect the transverse grooves with the and hence in contact with the foot of the wearer. I These grooves or arteries may be in the form of grooves molded in the bottom surface of the resilient material such as rubber or they'may be in the form of channels in the interior of the molded material, said channels extending through the molded material and connecting the respective grooves and perforations.

I have found that these channels may be from a commercial standpoint formed by molding them'as grooves on the bottom surface. When I employ these connecting grooves'or arteries, I may or may not use the reinforcing-bosses at the .ends of the perforations since with these grooves the bosses may not be necessary for proper breathing action. r

Although I have specifically set forth transverse'grooves having spaced wallsas the means by which I obtain the forced breathing, I also propose the use of grooves having spaced-relatively parallel walls of varying forms. By means of these grooves of varying forms and .curvatures I may take advantage of different flexing actions of the insole and hence obtain an'additionalor superior forced breathing action.

This engaging means may take the place of a plurality of downwardly depending projections or a single projection in the form of, for example, a bar of appreciable length adapted to fit into a described more specificallyhereinafter, may comprise, in addition to an arch support-per se, a

heel support anda meta-tarsal support. The features of engaging the arch support/with the insole may apply to this extendedmember which sole and comprising a rubber-like material. Be-- cause of theresilience of these downwardly depending lugs a suppleness and resilience is given to the arch support, and further, an air space is I provided between the arch support and the in-, l"

sole which air space constitutes a pumping'n'ieans for providing a flow of air into the foot area because of the fact that alternate compression and decompression of these downwardly depending resilient lugs causes the air space to be alter-i nately diminished and enlarged. The passage for the airpumpe'd is provided through perforathat;area. As will be described more specifically hereinafter, this size and length variance is effected by-a graduated increase in size of said resilient lugs.

Irraddition to providing grooves having closedin'walls, I mayalso provide interconnected grooves to provide a different type of air flow through the arch support.

Accordingly, it is the object of my invention to provide anovel ar'ch supporting member 'for a shoe consisting of a resilient j material such as expanded rubber, 'said arch supportbeing provided with means for causing forced breathing therethrough; f It is a 'further' object of myinvention to" pro: vide a novel cellular rubbera'rch supportwith a rigid support positioned therein. :It is a further object of my invention to provide a novel arch support in which grooves'are positioned onthe flexibleportions in order to provide-forced.- breathing through perforations located through the arch support area.

igure 1 is a plan view of the arch support of my invention. Figure 21s a bottom view of the modified arch support shown in Figure '1. Figure 3 is a cross section taken along line 3-3 of Figure 1.

-=Figure 4 is a cross section taken along line 4 4 of Figure 2. "Figure 5 isa bottom view of a section'of a modified form of the arch support of my invention.

Hitherto, these supports have beenmade of a metal frame work' covered with leather and such arch support is decidedly uncomfortable for the foot'. A rubber support has been impractical largely because of the problem of foot comfort. By meansof the system of forced breathing which I effect as'shown by the grooves and per forations, I have obviated the difficulties hitherto experienced in this art. All portions of the base area of my arch support that are flexed carry the transverse grooves which, when flexed, force air through the perforations to the foot.

' to prevent the closing-of said perforations and eral groove. transverse grooves; Additionally or alternately I an arch support, generally denoted as 50, having perforations 5| and 52 which may be of various shapes extending therethrough to provide an air flow from the air pumping construction beneath the arch support to the foot area above the arch support. Mounted on, and preferably molded integrally with the arch support 50, is a metatarsal support 5| upwardly and outwardly extending from the inside of the arch support 50 and a long arch support 54 adapted to support the long arch of the foot.

On the bottom of the arch support 50, as shown Figure 2, are transverse grooves 56 and 51,

and peripherally extending groove 58 which interconnects the various transverse grooves 56 and 51.. ,Perforations 59 are located in the periph- Perforations 60 are located in the may provide perforations 6| located on the arch support intermediate said grooves, said perforations 6| bei-ngpreferabIy reinforced by bosses 62 to permit air -'to flow'-therethroughfrom the bottom of the arch support. The-perforations may be of v'ariou'sshapes as-desiredj Downwardly depending from the bottom of said arch support are lugs 64, 65, 66, and 61 which are adapted to rest on the insole directly beneath said arch support. These lugs may vary'in-diameter and length, the lugs-of greatest diameter and length'being adjacent the upwardly and outwardly extending arch 54, as more specifically shown in Figure 4.

The bottom of these lugs may be fiat as shown at 10 in Figure 3; orthebottom may be dishedout in cup-like formll toincrease the adherence of the lug to the insole and to -provide a further air pumping action'during the compression and decompressioncf the lugs in the act ofwalking. By graduating the diameter and length of the lugs as shown in Figures-2 and- 4, I provide a better support for that area of the foot which particularly needs the support, meaning particularly that area at and adjacent the long arch;

- In Figure 5-I- show'a modified form of groove which maybe employed in the "bottom of my arch'support which modification can be utilized iri-the' heel of any ofthe-preceding species, and in thisform Iprovide interconnected transverse and longitudinal grooves 'I5 and Ii-respectively which are interconnectedand in which are located perforations 1-1 adaptedto transmit air therefrom to the upper portion -of-the arch support and to the interior of the foot-5 As shown, these transverse and longitudinal grooves may have closed end walls 18, 19; and to increase the effect offorcing the air from the grooves through the perforations TI. The provision of these-downwardly depending lugs secures not only the' iaccurate" and-permaneiit positioning of the arch support in the shoe, but also provides agreater resilience thereforbecause of the increased resilience area provided by the resilient lugs. The downwardly depend; ing lugs further increase the breathing propensi ties of the construction since under compression in; the act of walking the lugs are corn-pressed and tend to compress-the walls off the adjacent groovescausirig' air to ilow 'therethrough arid-to increase the pumpingactionof the unit, *By the constructions here shownyI provide a novel archsupport'which, as shownfmay com-- prisean'arch areaandheeI area, "and on which Inlay provideaQmeta-tarsal support. The re silient breathing nature of my arch support construction provides increasedfoot comfort both from the standpoint of correct foot posture and because of the increased resilience which I provide.

Certain modifications of my invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art and I intend to be limited not by the specific forms set forth by way of example above, but only by the said peripheral groove so that said peripheral groove connects said transverse grooves.

-2. An arch and heel support comprising a soft and resilient material, said support comprising an arch area and a heel area, a soft and resilient long arch support extending upwardly and outwardly from said archarea, lugs downwardly depending from said arch area, said lugs being adapted to rest on an insole, said lugs being of greater length and thickness in the arch area adjacent said long arch support, transverse grooves extending across the bottom of said arch and heel support, a groove located on the bottom of said support extending around the periphery of said support, said transverse grooves opening into said peripheral groove so that said peripheral grooves.

groove connects said transverse MEYER MARGOLIN. 

